Navy CTO Justin Fanelli on rewriting the rules of defense acquisition

The Department of Defense and the unifromed military services are undertaking a massive acquisition overhaul prioritizing speed and rapid innovation. One of the services leading the way on that journey is the Department of the Navy. Last month at DefenseTalks, CTO Justin Fanelli delivered a dynamic keynote sharing how the sea service is going about its technology-enabling acquisition transformation.

Kirsten Davies has been formally sworn in as chief information officer at the Defense Department where she’ll oversee a “broad portfolio” of important programs, the Pentagon announced. Davies took the reins shortly before the Christmas holiday, according to officials, less than a week after she was confirmed by the Senate. “She brings to the Department two decades of transforming organizations for the digital age, building cyber defenses, tackling tech debt, and innovating at scale,” officials wrote in a post on the Office of the CIO’s LinkedIn page, noting her private sector experience working in top leadership roles for major companies such as Unilever, Estee Lauder Companies, Barclays (Africa Group), Hewlett Packard Enterprises, and Siemens AG. Her extensive IT and cybersecurity background was previously touted by experts who wrote a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee in support of her nomination for Pentagon CIO. In social media posts, DOD officials noted that Davies will be serving under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth while leading digital modernization efforts and “overseeing for him the information enterprise, cybersecurity, technology innovation, and a broad portfolio of national security programs.” Davies took the helm from Katie Arrington, who has launched and shepherded major initiatives while performing the duties of DOD CIO in a non-Senate-confirmed capacity.

The Federal Aviation Administration is taking another step toward its goal of modernizing systems and processes by picking two partners to help replace more than 600 radars. The agency said Virginia-based RTX and Spanish firm Indra Sistemas will come onboard the FAA’s air traffic control overhaul, marked by high stakes, tight timelines and billions of dollars in funding. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in the Monday announcement.“Most of our radars date back to the 1980s. It’s unacceptable.” The radar replacement will kick off this quarter, with a finish line of June 2028 as the goal. The contracts will be paid for by the initial funds allocated in the One Big Beautiful Bill, which earmarked $12.5 billion for the air traffic control modernization project. The radar overhaul is much needed and critical to ensuring safety and efficiency, according to DOT officials. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. “Many of the units have exceeded their intended service life, making them increasingly expensive to maintain and difficult to support. We are buying radar systems that will bring production back to the U.S. and provide a vital surveillance backbone to the National Airspace System.”

Also in this episode, Salesforce EVP Paul Tatum joins SNG host Wyatt Kash in a sponsored podcast discussion on how Agentic AI is accelerating decision-making and enhancing readiness across the defense and intelligence communities. This segment was sponsored by Salesforce.

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